


Staples

by Artan



Series: Fluency AU [17]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Culture, F/M, Fluff, Food, Interspecies Romance, Languages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2018-12-15 02:39:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11796708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artan/pseuds/Artan
Summary: It isn't always what you eat, but when you eat it and why that is interesting.A series of short works focusing on meals and food, with a little bit of life on the side.





	1. Breakfast

**Author's Note:**

> Italics are Lapine  
> Bold is Vulpine

The toast crunched wonderfully underneath Judy’s incisors.  It was almost as good as the feeling of fresh celery.  Breakfast, however, was a work in progress.  She had a big job ahead of her this morning to prepare a meal.  Across the counter of the modest apartment kitchen was spread both ingredients and hastily scribbled notecards, all to help keep her thoughts in order.  Judy reached for the carton of eggs, silently thanking both her mother and her mother-in-law for their help.  If it wasn’t for them this wouldn’t have even been a possibility.

 

Everything else was prepared, mostly greens with a few of the more delicious flowers as a treat.  Cut fruits such as apples and strawberries sat next to steaming hot pancakes and toast.  Judy had been working to finally learn how to cook and it seemed to be finally paying dividends.  Nick hadn’t even had to help, he wasn’t even away yet.

 

The fox in question roused himself seemingly after the coffee was finished brewing.  The springs of their mattress could be heard squeaking from the bedroom as he awoke.  His eyebrows rose as he pushed the door open.  He had only one question as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.  “ **All this for me?** ”  Judy couldn’t help but smile, it was a perfect demonstration of what happened to a fox without his morning beverage.

“Nick, if you manage to eat all of this yourself you’ll have more in common with Gid’ than just species.”  She found the half smile on her face mirrored by her mate.

 

He slid into the seat on the far side of the kitchen table and Judy passed him a full cup of coffee, receiving a peck on the top of her head as she did so.  Taking advantage of his lowered muzzle she chinned him atop his nose.  The fox actually shivered as she heard him inhale through his nose.  She loved having that sort of effect on him.  “Now then, _breakfast_?”

 

The meal laid out on the table was full of traditional Lapine fare, with a few exceptions for her mate.  Somehow, foxes weren’t really breakfast animals; perhaps it had something to do with those nocturnal habits.  Her mate stifled another yawn and began filling his plate with food as she did much the same.

 

With his plate full, Nick dug into the fruits and grains with an enthusiasm that some of Judy’s younger brothers would have found hard to match.  Eggs were the next thing for the fox to begin demolishing; he loved the taste of them almost as much as the blueberries he continuously restocked the fridge with.  There were only two items that stopped him.  Vitamins and flowers.  He was far more subtle about the former than the latter.  “Come on Nick, the lavender won’t kill you.  These are some of the best stalks I’ve had this year.  Besides, they’re in season right now.”  From her experience, lavender honestly didn’t have a season, but that wasn’t the important part.  It was just a way to invite her mate to try them.  The vitamin was another matter entirely.

 

The dark brown pill had somehow; mysteriously found its way under the edge of her husband’s plate.  Tucked behind the untouched knife she almost overlooked it.  “So, you’ve taken your vitamins, right Nick?”  Judy dropped the question in the midst of their conversation without any warning.  A flash of guilt crossed Nick’s muzzle before he quickly threw the pill into his mouth.  “You know just as well as I do why the Vet recommended you begin taking those.”  Somehow, the fox managed a sorry around the tablet before swallowing it whole.

“At least I have you looking out for me.”  He said with a sheepish grin.  “Keeping me out of trouble from all that pouncing from my younger, more adventurous years.”  His smirk was quick to return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main focus of this short is that breakfast is a mainly lapine meal. Not that it is exclusively theirs, but at least among these two it is. Traditionally, a lapine breakfast is something that would be served communally and where the burrow would work to 'mobilize' itself as a cohesive unit. Mostly consisting of fresh fruits, flowers, and other greens along with a side of pancakes it was supposed to give a working rabbit the energy to carry through the day until lunch.  
> Another idea that I at least wanted to touch on is medicine. In the wild, foxes put a lot of strain on their joints during the activities of hunting, pouncing, and running. As civilized creatures, Nick and Judy may not have the same physical demands as their baser ancestors but daily activity does take a toll on their bodies.


	2. Snack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These are in no particular order...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are Lapine  
> Bold is Vulpine

“Nick,” The yawn put a pause on anything Judy was going to say but did little to break her train of thought.  “What are you doing up this late?”  Outlined by the refrigerator’s interior lights, the fox in question continued pawing through the leftovers.

“Couldn’t sleep so I decided to get a snack.  You?”

Sleep still clouded her thoughts and a short groan prefaced her reply.  “Not too sure, I guess it’s just the usual problems when spending the night somewhere new.”

 

Nick nodded.  “Same for me.  Somehow this place goes from too loud to too quiet once everyone goes to bed.  I never thought I would say it, but I kinda miss the constant noise of Zootopia out here.  It really is almost unnerving just how quiet it gets out in the country.”  Judy took a seat in the much smaller chairs of the burrow as Nick kept speaking.  It was almost strange to have everything the correct scale.  “And then we get to the scents.  It’s just so different to have every mammal be the exact same species.  It’s like standing in some strange echo-chamber for your nose.”

 

Judy was surprised.  “Really?”  She asked.  “Everyone here smells the same?”  Nick closed the fridge door to think, plunging the kitchen into darkness except for the square of moonlight streaming through the skylight and the burrow’s appliances.

“Well, not exactly.  It’s more like standing in a room full of mammals all speaking the same word.  You can tell what they are saying and sometimes pull individual voices out of the crowd but as a whole it is hard to be specific.”  The fox stepped away from the fridge and took one of her paws, squeezing it tightly.  “With you around, it’s a little different.  One of those voices is just a bit louder and sweeter than the others.”

 

Judy could feel her heart melt.  It was an actual physical feeling, almost like a warm drink on a cold day in her chest.  The next thing her fox said only made those feelings stronger.  “There are some nights when I have trouble sleeping, but being with you helps.”

“Even here?”

“Even out here.”

Judy squeezed his paw back and took pleasure in the simple contact between them.

 

Nick released her and turned back to continue searching the leftovers in the fridge.  “So I take it this is the mysterious vulpine tradition of ‘midnight snack’ or just something more mundane?”

“If I’m going to be honest this is more along the snack line than anything else.  We foxes do have a formal term for the midnight snack practice though.  I always preferred the term ‘Fourth Meal,’ but traditionally this would have been called **tiding**.”

 

**Tiding** was the best way her mind tried to translate the word, but a more realist word was forage or with a stretch leftovers.  “So what makes this meal special?”  Judy asked.  Nick shrugged.

“Nothing much.  It’s mostly just a way of using up some of the uneaten food from the day and keeping yourself from waking up hungry.  Not a pleasant experience I assure you.”  As Nick grabbed a few plastic containers and put two of them into the microwave there was little Judy could say.  It was a reminder of darker times.

 

Almost a minute later, Nick joined her at the table.  Judy had taken two small plates out of one of the cabinets and increased the dish washer’s delay by another hour.  Some of the few proteins from dinner were pulled steaming from the microwave along with some of the potato dumplings that had been part of the main course.  At the auxiliary kitchen’s small table he began putting food on his plate.  It wasn’t much, but it was a bit of everything.

 

Together, they snacked as the moonlight steadily crept across the floor.  “It’s different having all of these in-laws now.”  Nick spoke between bites, “I used to wonder what it was like to have siblings, growing up.  Most days I was home alone after getting out of school, and it wasn’t until late when Mom would return from work.  I was a pretty lonely kit, looking back on it.”  He snorted, “I guess that was one of the reasons why I tried to join the Ranger Scouts.  We both know how well that turned out.”  In the time since the lights turned off, Judy’s eyes had been steadily adjusting to the dark.  With the help of the nearly full moon, what were formerly dark shapes had a certain amount of detail.  Her fox’s details, however, were the ones she was interested in.

 

“Good think you have all of us then.”  Her comment seemed to bring Nick back to the present.

“What?”  He looked up from his nearly empty plate, were he had been staring at the final pieces of strawberry.

“You know.  All two hundred and seventy-five of us.”  She couldn’t see the smile on Nick’s muzzle, but the shifting of his cheek fur was enough to tell her he was.

“Right.”  He snarked, “All practically three hundred of you.  How could I possibly forget?”  Unfortunately for him, he trailed off with a yawn of his own.

“I think that’s a sign.”  Judy had to speak to suppress a chuckle, “Let’s finish up what we have here and call it a night.  We both know how early morning comes here.”  The only response her mate had was a groan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 'potato dumplings' that I mention briefly are something I imagined as a cross between pierogis and colcannon. Pierogis are a Polish potato dumpling with a number of different fillings, while colcannon is a traditional Irish form of mashed potatoes mixed with butter, leeks, and either cabbage or kale.  
> I can't say that I have tried making this combination myself, but I know each of the constituent foods is pretty good!


	3. Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All in common this time.

“Nick!  Why didn’t you warn me you were bringing home fish?”  He hadn’t even been in the apartment for more than a few minutes and already Judy was running to open a window.  He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty about that.

“Sorry, I was just really wanted to try out the new grill we got.”  It was a present he had honestly been dying to try out.  The solid, cast-iron cook ware was just full of possibilities; he only now was going to have a chance to explore them.

“I know, Nick, it just smells bad.”

 

There was a moment of surprise, for Nick.

“Really?  It smells bad?”

“Well it doesn’t exactly smell good.  There really aren’t any good words to describe it in either Common or Lapine, but if I had to, I would go with salt and Sulphur.  Even then though, that isn’t quite right.”

“That’s it, huh?”  Judy just shrugged in response from her seat in the main area of the apartment.  “There are plenty of words I could think of, in Vulpine at least.  Unfortunately, there really isn’t any parallel in Common or Lapine, like you said.”

 

He let the conversation drop there, but as Nick began preparing food, he went pawing through the lower cabinets searching for the one tool that would let him use his new toy.  The old Voleman two-burner still smelled of its propane fuel despite sitting unused for the past few years.  It even had a fresh tank next to it from the last time it had been used.  How nice of Fin do drop that off as well.  A quick check showed everything to be in order and Nick began preparing the vegetables first.  Fried squash was perfectly fine at room temperature; the same could not be said for fish.

 

It took two trips for Nick to set-up the stove on their apartment’s modest balcony.  While larger mammals would feel differently, it was just big enough for a small table and a single chair, which found itself pushed out of the way.  He had managed to convince Judy to keep an eye on the vegetables while he worked with the meat.  Black pepper, salt, and coriander joined cloves, cumin and nutmeg.  A lightly brushed coat of grapeseed oil covered the salmon steak and gave the spices something to stick to.

 

Carefully, he rubbed the spices into the fish with his paw pads, keeping his claws away from the meat.  Fur was another concern of his as he worked.  He had brushed his paws thoroughly with a slicker brush and still had to remove a few stray hairs from the food.  While you could always identify a pred pianist from their manicured claws, every chef, cook, or baker seemed to have well brushed paws.  Either that or a healthy supply of gloves, but that got expensive quick and didn’t react too well to heat.  Nick gave an internal shrug as he placed the seasoned fish on the hot grill.  He had no idea how mammals like Gideon Grey managed to keep their fur out of their work, he had enough trouble on his own.

 

The leafed table was already set when the fish was brought inside; Judy had even poured some of the pear cider from the fridge.

“You remembered to shut the gas off, right?”  Judy asked from where she had been using the wooden spoon to scoop portions of pan cooked vegetables onto their plates.  They were darker than what he would have cooked, but nothing that would change how they tasted.  Judy was still learning and that was the important thing.  Nick nodded, placing the fish and its serving plate on the table.  The scent that filled the apartment was simply amazing.

“Yes, I even double checked before closing the screen door.”

“Good, than let’s eat.  I know I’m hungry.”

 

Judy really could eat, it was something that had amazed him the first few times they had eaten meals together.  For such a small mammal she could eat an astounding amount of food.  She had said it was the result of having so many brothers.  Something about them being like a swarm of locusts.  Nick kept that in mind as he cut the steak in rough halves, taking care to remove the spine that separated each half before putting one on each plate.

 

The first bite of fish seemed to satisfy some base, primal portion of Nick.  It was flakey, tender, and savory as it almost melted on the fox’s tongue.  All he could do was close his eyes and enjoy it.

“That good, hmmm?”  Judy brought him crashing back to reality, only to notice exactly what he was doing.  His ears had lain themselves back in bliss while he could feel his tail thumping against the back of the chair.  Was it dignified?  No.  Was it honest?  Yes, yes it was.

“It is that good.” 

 

Nick put a second piece into his mouth and before cutting a third he had a question of his own.

“So, what do you think?”  Judy took a moment to answer.

“It’s good, but I have the same issue that happens with most proteins.”

“Which is?”

“It’s really filling, at least when compared to the vegetables.  I wish I could eat more but I don’t know if I can.”

“Are you saying you’re full already?  You know, I could finish it for you?”

“Oh no!  I know how this goes!  The fish may be filling, but I promise you I’m not full yet!”  Nick had to smile at a response like that.  His mate had a certain ferocity that made her irresistible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The spices that I had Nick put on the fish should actually work out, if you try them yourself. Not that I am saying go out and try it, but it shouldn't be half bad.


	4. Lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vulpine is in bold

After such a warm August, the early days of September were surprisingly cold.  That, along with the twinge in his left ankle made him question why he was walking to the park.  He tugged his hoodie slightly, trying to keep some amount of warmth from being stolen by the stiff breeze.  For once, he found himself wishing for his coat of winter fur, despite the trouble it caused.  Turning a corner, he stepped directly into the late morning sun, blinding him until he raised a paw.  In his head, he found a few of the more artful Lapine curses appropriate at forgetting his sunglasses.

 

In the light, at least he didn’t have to worry about being cold; everything else however was another matter.  Judy was patrolling without him today, and would have to be for the next few days while he was stuck on medical leave.  It was something that made him slightly nervous.  What if something happened to his partner, his wife, his **Soulmate**?  He should be out there with her.  Of course, his body took that opportunity to remind the fox exactly why he wasn’t, with another small twinge.

 

The doc had said he should consider himself lucky, especially for a mammal his size after apprehending a far larger perp.  Judy said the swelling looked painful, which it was.  The Chief said what he did was unorthodox and outside precinct practices, but effective despite requiring a short term leave.  All three of them reacted poorly when he tried to attend the next morning’s briefing.  He was on time, awake, attentive, and didn’t even make a sarcastic comment for once.  Little more than a half-hour later, the fox found himself escorted back to the apartment by both Officers Higgins and Trunkaby.  Neither of them could fit through the front door so they had Wolfard walk him to his room.  They even had Fangmeyer and Jackson on call.  Nick was certain most high profile raids had less planning than just getting him out of the precinct.  At least Judy had cooled down by the time she returned home, somewhat.

 

Nick tried to use the memory of events a few days ago to distract him from his, honestly minor, injury.  It wasn’t really working, truth be told.  Every time he put weight on his joint, it only seemed to hurt a little more.  The park was only a few blocks away, but finally sitting down on the hard benches was a much needed relief.  That ankle would definitely need ice on it later, if he wanted to be able to walk without a limp when Judy got home.

 

He had to get out of the apartment; he would have lost his mind if he hadn’t.  There was only so much sleeping in late, and nutflix he could take before he started to get bored.  He would never admit it out loud, but for once he wouldn’t mind being back at work.  Nick sighed and looked around the small neighborhood green-space once more.  It was quiet, practically deserted on a weekday and he had only the passing cars for company.  This may have been the same park where he proposed to Judy the previous year, but alone during the day it just didn’t hold the same emotions.  Nick stood up and gingerly began walking towards the street, it was time to leave.

 

Returning home was much faster than the seemingly long walk out.  Of course, the Zuber may have had something to do with that.  Nick sprawled across the couch, with a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped around his ankle.  It managed to keep the swelling down.  In contrast, there was a steaming bowl of soup on the end table near his head.  Some of Bonnie Hopps’ butternut squash soup, Judy nearly swore by the stuff and had been proclaiming its healing effects.  It was thick, savory, and had the slightest hint of cinnamon.  With a taste like that, all of those miraculous attributes just may have been true.

 

A certain tension built in the fox’s chest as he waited alone.  His mate’s shift ended at five, a time that came and went without much fanfare.  He knew it was unrealistic to expect Judy to walk through the door the minute her shift ended, but that didn’t make him want it any less.  Half an hour later and he finally heard the door rattle slightly before opening.  Judy had returned.

 

Slung across one shoulder was their usually shared gym bag, while the other held a plastic grocery bag.

“Hey Slick, doin’ alright?”  The words were out of her mouth while the door was still closing behind her.

“Bored, but other than that just fine.”  He didn’t dare check his ankle, instead hoping the vegetables had done their job before he put them back in the freezer.  “Anything interesting happen around the Precinct?”

“Not really, just more of the same.  I do have some news for you however.”

“Does it have anything to do with what’s in that bag?”

“Not really, that’s something I picked up on the way home.  I managed to pull a few strings and can get you back in the precinct starting Thursday.”  That made Nick’s ears perk up instantly.

“There’s a catch, right?”  Judy nodded in response.

“You’re going to be stuck on paperwork duty until the doc gives you the ok for active duty.”

“Great, can’t wait.”  He was being honest, even paperwork was better than just sitting around.  “What did you pick up then?”

“Oh, you know, not much…  Just some of those flavored crickets you were talking about last week.  I got three different kinds, since I didn’t know which one you liked the best.”

“Judy, you have no idea how happy you make me, and it isn’t just because of the crickets.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part has taken me far longer than I ever intended it to, with no help from my personal life. Just recently, I have begun a full time job which has consumed most of my free time. Unfortunately, due to that I have had to cut down on just how much I am able to write. This should only be a short term issue, as I adjust myself to this new schedule.
> 
> A lot of this was taken from my own experiences, aside from the ankle injury. Butternut squash soup is very good, the trick however can be finding either a good recipe or a good brand in the store.

**Author's Note:**

> These small slices of domestic life are kinda fun to write.  
> 


End file.
